Types of Acoustic Guitars There are several types of acoustic guitars. The most common are the Dreadnaught (6 string and 12 string), Classical and Parlor guitars. Each is designed to accommodate different musical styles. Pictured below are each of these types. The Dreadnaught Acoustic While the dreadnaught appears in many variations, this is the guitar that comes to mind whe guitar that comes to mind when most people think "guitar." Sometimes called a western guitar, the Dreadnaught is a big instrument with a full sound and a lot of bass. Ideally, dreadnaughts are loud guitars designed to accompany singers or fit into a wide range of musical idioms. For the average player, this is the right guitar. Different styles of dreadnaught guitars include the standard dreadnaught constructed of a full range of woods from common ones like mahogany and spruce, to woods that are rather exotic like Brazilian rosewood, lacewood or jacaranda. Some guitars don't use wood at all. Instead, they are constructed of composite materials like carbon fiber. Using different materials in the construction of a guitar will contribute dramatically to the sound of the instrument. Dreadnaught have become the most popular acoustic guitar, used in many popular songs by many icons in music. The dreadnaught, as with most other acoustic guitars, have one soundhole that amplifies the sound. Never guitars like the Ovation does away with this one hole concept, replacing it with many smaller holes of various sizes. The 12 String Dreadnaught Acoustic The 12 string guitar is similar in construction and styling to the six string guitar. Although it has 12 strings rather than the usual six, the strings work in pairs tuned to the same notes; the first two pairs are tuned to exactly the same pitch while rest are tuned to the same notes one octave apart. This means that, although the 12 string has a fuller, richer timbre, the notes and chord shapes are the same as the standard six string. The additional string tension makes this guitar somewhat less than ideal for beginners. It's a great strumming guitar, but note bending is nearly impossible.     The Cutaway Dreadnaught Acoustic Another style of dreadnother style of dreadnaught guitar has a cutaway to allow access to the highest register. The cutaway's effect on the guitar's sound is a subject for debate but, the reality is that, if you want to play those frets, you have to be able to reach them. The assumption is that there is a loss of bass response due to the decrease in internal volume. Again, a well made guitar will sound great anyway.         The Parlor Guitar The term "parlor guitar" dates back to the days before recorded music where entertainment was conducted live and often in the parlors of those who were lucky enough to have them. Today, the term describes a size and style of guitar. Parlor guitars have smaller bodies than dreadnaughts and often are smaller than even classical guitars. Contrary to popular assumption, their reduced size isn't intended to accommodate smaller players but, rather to provide for a more even frequency response. In other words, bass, treble and all of the frequencies in between are the same volume. In an acoustically near perfect environment like a "parlor" or concert hall, this even frequency response is a must if the music isn't to be overwhelmed with bass. Often (in fact, usually), the neck of a parlor guitar is wider than that of a dreadnaught. Parlor guitars are often the choice of fingerstyle players. The wider neck better accommodates this style of player giving him/her more room to get individual fingers between the strings. Anyone looking for a guitar would be well served to consider a good parlor style guitar. The mid frequencies of these guitars are punchy and pleasing making these instruments a good dhoice for all but the classical or flamenco player. The Classical Guitar Classical guitars are characterized by the use of nylon (in the old days, cat gut) strings. Typically, these instruments have a wide neck and a very flat fingerboard. Some "old school" instructors feel that this is the only guitar a beginning guitarists should consider as the lighter string tension and greater string gauge are easy on the fingers. Classical guitars are best suited for classical music so, it's best to stick to steel strings for most popular musical styles. Of course, if you like the sound, go for it. They are wonderful instruments. Flamenco or Spanish guitars are essentially the classical guitar. In fact, "Flamenco" is just the style of playing the guitar. The flamenco guitar had several innovations to make it easier to be played flamenco-style. Its body was made of relatively cheaper such as Spanish cypress, and special plates named golpeadores were fixed. These plates were placed below the sound hole, so that the player can tap or slap it, as part of flamenco music. Instead of using metal tuning heads, the flamenco guitar featured wooden ones.( most probably because they were cheaper and lighter than metal). Strings were See Also: Flamenco history in detail   Flamenco and spanish guitar website       often mounted closer to the body, to make fingering and strumming easier.     The Jumbo Acoustic Jumbos are designed to be loud and full of bass. It's basically similar in function and usage to the dreadnaught. They're great guitars if well made. In some situations, the mid frequencies get lost, overpowered by the bass. Be aware of this if you are shopping for one and listen objectively in different sized rooms. Jumbo guitars have big, rounded bodies, which serve to amplify the bass signals more than dreadnaughts. Gibson Jumbo and Super200 guitars are the more popular jumbo acoustics you can find.